Conference announcement: forward

[Harold F. Schiffman]

                   The complex interface between the Sociology of Language
and Religion will be the theme of a colloquium scheduled to be held at the
University of Surrey Roehampton from June 20 to 22, 2002.

                   Such a colloquium has become necessary in the light of
the debates surrounding issues of ideology and identity triggered by
language and religion in different parts of the world in recent times. The
various discourses that have emerged around the aeroblasting of the World
Trade Centre and The Pentagon in New York and Washington DC respectively
give sanction to these discussions. We recognise this to be an
interdisciplinary project, and therefore expect that the theoretical and
methodological arguments that will drive the discussions will be diverse.

                   Twenty-four scholars drawn from around the world will
lead these discussions, which cover several faiths (Christianity, Judaism,
Islam, Bahai, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shamanism and African Traditional
Religions among others) and languages. The lead discussants include
eminent names like Joshua Fishman (Stanford/Yeshiva), John Joseph
(Edinburgh), Yasir Suleiman (Edinburgh), Rajeshwari Pandharipande
(Urbana), Muhammad Amara (Bar-Ilan), Phyllis Chew (NIE Singapore),
Hans-georg Wolf (Humboldt), Anya Woods (Monash),, Nkonko Kamwangamalu
(Natal), Greg Meyjes (Washington DC), Dipo Salami (OAU, Ile-Ife), Lynn
Mario (Sao Paulo) and Chao-Chih Liao (Feng Chia, Taiwan).

                   It is hoped that the outcome of the colloquium will
facilitate a better understanding and management of social, cultural and
political interrelationships especially in multilingual, multicultural and
multifaith societies.

                   Lead discussants and titles:

                   Professor Joshua Fishman (jfishman at aecom.yu.edu,
                   joshuafishman at yahoo.com)
                   University of Stanford and Yeshiva University
                   Title: 'Who says Yiddish is holy and why? On the
		   sanctification of
                   profane vernaculars'

                   Professor Yasir Suleiman (imemyss at srv0.arts.ed.ac.uk)
                   Director, Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of
		   Islam and the Middle East
                   Title: 'Between Heaven and Earth: Arabic in its
		   socio-cultural milieu'

                   Professor John E. Joseph (John.Joseph at ed.ac.uk)
                   Department of Linguistics, University of Edinburgh
                   Title: The shifting role of languages in Lebanese
		   Christian and Moslem identities

                   Professor Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande (raj at uiuc.edu)
                   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A.
                   Title: Many languages, many religions: issues in the
		   language of religion in India.

                   Dr. Muhammad H. Amara (khitam at zahav.net.il)
                   Departments of Political Studies and English, Bar-Ilan
		   University, Ramat-Gan, 52900.
                   Title: The political discourse of the Islamic
		   Fundamentalist Movement in Israel

                   Dr. Phyllis Chew (glpchew at nie.edu.sg)
                   ELAL, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
                   Title: Linguistic and religious globalism: a study of
		   the Bahai Faith

                   Dr. Chao-Chih Liao (ccliao at nchu.edu.tw)
                   Department of Foreign Languages, (Feng Chia
                   University/Taichung Taiwan)
                   Title: The Sociology of Language in Christianity versus
                   Buddhism in Taiwan

                   Dr. Annabelle Mooney (mooneya at cardiff.ac.uk)
                   Centre for Language and Communication Studies,
		   University of Wales, Cardiff
                   Title: The Sociology of Religion and the Language of
		   Law:  Paternalism and Bed Bugs

                   Dr. Dipo Salami (Diposalami at hotmail.com)
                   Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University,
		   Ile-Ife, Nigeria
                   Title: Creating God in our image: attributes of God in
		   the Yoruba sociocultural environment.

                   Professor Nkonko Kamwangamalu, (KAMWANGA at nu.ac.za)
                   Linguistics Program, University of Natal, Durban 4041,
		   South Africa
                   Title: Religion and language maintenance: African
		   languages in post-apartheid South Africa.

                   Miss Siti Zuraiyni Yassin (raiyni at hotmail.com)
                   Centre For The Promotion Of Knowledge & Language
		   Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
                   Title: 'Qawwamuna' in relation to the Malay Muslim
		   women in Malaysia: The misinterpretation of words in
		   religious text.

                   Dr. Hans-Georg Wolf (hans-georg.wolf at rz.hu-berlin.de)
                   Humboldt University, Berlin
                   Title: Religion and traditional belief in (West)
		   African English

                   Dr. 'tope Omoniyi (skyman at btinternet.com)
                   School of English & Modern Languages, University of
		   Surrey Roehampton,
                   Title: Societal multilingualism, multifaithism and
		   conflict:  Managing national integration in the context
		   of multiple identities.

                   Miss Jeannet Stephen (jeannets at ums.edu.my)
                   and Miss Junaidah Januin (junnn68 at hotmail.com)
                   Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language
		   Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
                   Title: Language use in religious diversity: Use of
		   expressions in Islam by non-Muslims in daily informal
		   interaction.

                   Mrs. Gella Fishman (joshuafishman at yahoo.com)
                   Stanford University
                   Title: Yiddish in the education of Orthodox girls
		   before and after the holocaust.

                   Dr. Lynn Mario T. Menezes de Souza
		   (lynnmario at uol.com.br, mdesouza at usp.br)
                   University of So Paulo, Brazil
                   Title: The shamanic book as transformative practice:
		   language and writing in indigenous communities in Brazil

                   Dr. Gregory Meyjes (gmeyjes at usbcn.org)
                   Director Baha'i Office of Public Information
		   (Washington DC)
                   Title: Language and world order in Baha'i perspective:
                   Revealing new paradigms


                   Colloquium Committee:
                   Professor Jen Coates (j.coates at roehampton.ac.uk)
                   Dr. Judith Broadbent (j.broadbent at roehampton.ac.uk)
                   Miss Eva Eppler (e.eppler at roehampton.ac.uk)
                   Miss Frances Rock (f.rock at roehampton.ac.uk)
                   Dr. Tope Omoniyi (t.omoniyi at roehampton.ac.uk)